There are concerns this new legislation could lead to Russia creating its own version of China's Great Firewall — which has been used to severely hinder free speech in the Asian nation.

Russia's attempted to squelch internet freedom in the past, namely by banning certain sitesand messaging platforms because they refused to follow government orders to curb user privacy. A 2014 law required blogs with more than 3,000 monthly visitors to register as media outlets.

Russia's hardly the only country that's attempted to replicate China's success in internet censorship though.

While Russia's own internet shutdown is simply a test, it represents a troubling trend in countries attempting to wrest more control over their internet — something that could lead to more people being censored.